Striking A Balance
by BlackFox12
Summary: Follows Faith and Trust. Brian tries to find a balance between his feelings for Toretto and his own sense of right and wrong. Eventually, it culminates in him endangering himself to bring in a known murderer. Contains spanking and slash. Don't like? Don't read


**Striking A Balance**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the franchise Fast and Furious and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Summary:** Follows Faith and Trust. Brian tries to find a balance between his feelings for Toretto and his own sense of right and wrong. Eventually, it culminates in him endangering himself to bring in a known murderer

**Warning(s):** Spanking; spoilers for the first movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise; some mentions of violence; AU

**Pairing:** Dom Toretto/Brian O'Conner - slash

**Author's Note:** To stave off any confusion with the films - the relationship here is AU. In this series of fics, Letty and Dom are _really_ good friends, but there's no romance between them after the events of Faith and Trust. Same with Brian and Mia.

* * *

Brian sheltered behind one of the crates in the warehouse, clicking the safety off his gun. He'd followed a man he recognised from the files of a cold case a partner of his from the LAPD had been given.

The man had progressed from petty criminal to murderer when his long-time girlfriend had tried to run from him and had been killed for it. It had been a case that had resonated with Brian's partner, because the woman had been approached and offered a place in the witness protection program in exchange for testifying.

Her murder could have been prevented.

The man had disappeared and the case had eventually been dropped. Brian was struggling with the fact that he'd fallen, hard, for Dom and that his feelings were returned with interest... and he knew that he should be happy. But it felt like _he_ was the only one of the two of them who had to change himself.

Brian was still working for the LAPD, but he'd had to do a lot of fast talking to convince his superiors that Dom had fled the country. The fact that Toretto still stuck around wouldn't have been so bad if he'd stopped flouting the law.

But Dom hadn't changed... _wasn't_ changing. And Brian didn't know how he could reconcile the two parts of his lives; his gradually-growing love for Dom and his need to do the right thing.

And he didn't think there would ever be a way of finding the balance between those two vastly different parts of his life.

That was why Brian was here in the warehouse now. There was nothing he could do about Toretto... but _here_ was something he could do. If he brought in this man, then not only would it satisfy his own sense of justice... but it should help to get his superiors off his back about not having brought Toretto in.

The warehouse was well-lit and filled with hi-tech equipment. The only reason Brian was able to stay out of view as long as he had was because of the crates that were piled in one corner. But even as he stayed hidden there, he realised he should have taken the time to call for backup.

The man was clearly involved in something much bigger now, if the gang milling around the warehouse was any indication.

Brian could feel his legs falling asleep, but he didn't dare shift his position. He'd misjudged the situation badly and he had to wait for the right time to be able to sneak out... and hope that no one thought to check the contents of any of the crates before he could get away and contact the LAPD.

And then the logic gave way to shock when Brian realised that he knew one of the men who had just walked into the warehouse.

Dom... the man who caused Brian so much turmoil... was meeting with the murder suspect.

The sound of their voices carried to Brian's ears. He wasn't surprised to realise that Dom was working a job for the man. Dom might be a criminal, but he wasn't a murderer... probably wasn't even aware of the man's past. But knowing that Toretto was involved meant that Brian was going to have to figure out how to bring the guy in.

Brian leaned back, holding in the sigh that threatened to escape his lips. He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the crates and he tensed up, starting to shift so that he could change position and hide better.

But his body was so tense from having to keep one position for too long, Brian's left foot skittered to one side and he fell on his backside. He managed to keep from letting out a yelp, but the sound of him hitting the floor was loud.

"Drop the gun!"

Brian looked up at one of the gang members; a big, muscular guy with a gun aimed at his head. He held his gun up and then placed it on the floor, kicking the weapon towards the man.

He wasn't stupid enough to try anything.

The man gestured upwards with his gun and Brian waited long enough to be sure the pins and needles weren't as intense, then stood up and walked round the crates as the man pushed him ahead.

The murder suspect, Andrew Hastings, glanced at Brian... though there was no hint of recognition in his eyes. He addressed his man at Brian's shoulder. "Dispose of him."

"That's one of my guys," Dom said.

Hastings narrowed his eyes at Dom. "You were checking up on me?"

"I sent him in to clear the area. Without me to vouch for him, when you arrived here, he couldn't come out. You would have shot him." Dom's voice was calm as he lied to Hastings. He didn't even spare a glance for Brian.

Hastings did, staring hard at Brian, who swallowed and raised his hands, forcing a smile to his face. "As Toretto says. I'm his man."

"Then why were you armed?" the man at Brian's shoulder asked.

"Who isn't?" Brian returned. "Can't be too careful around here." If he'd had a death wish, he might have made a dig about what he knew about Hastings' past... but he managed to hold his tongue.

The gun the other man was holding on Brian cocked and he couldn't help tensing up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Toretto narrow his eyes... but Dom's voice was calm when he spoke. "You shoot him, you'll make me unhappy. You don't wanna do that while I've still got your goods."

Hastings glanced over Brian's head and gave a slight nod. Brian let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding as he felt the man step away from him.

"Good choice." Dom looked at Brian. "Wait outside."

It probably wasn't the best time to point out that his gun was still back there. At least Brian hadn't brought his badge with him. Losing one was bad enough. He didn't want to get made as a cop. He nodded slightly to Dom and then slipped out of the warehouse, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding as soon as he was safely outside.

The rest of the team weren't there and Brian felt somewhat relieved by that. If it was just him and Dom, it would be easier if his lover was going to say anything to him for them to be alone.

It seemed to take an age, but Dom finally walked out of the warehouse. The look he gave Brian was unreadable, but he dropped his hand onto Brian's shoulder and began walking.

Brian walked along without argument, not speaking until they reached the car. "Where are we going?" he asked, as Dom opened the door and motioned for him to get in.

"We're going home." Dom waited until Brian got into the passenger side and then closed the door, moving round to get in the driver's seat. "You gonna tell me what that was back there?"

"I didn't know you were going to be there."

"Yeah, that's not what I asked."

Brian stared out of the window as Dom drove them back to the house. He took his time answering, not wanting to admit to his lover the struggle he'd had to find the balance between his feelings for Dom and his desire to do the right thing.

But it was clear that Dom expected an answer and Brian spoke in a quiet voice. "Hastings is a wanted man. He started out a petty criminal and turned murderer. Bringing him in was the right thing to do. And, well, my superiors still don't trust me after I failed to bring you in. I figured arresting Hastings would help to get them off my back."

"So you decided to go after him, alone and without any backup waiting?"

"I didn't realise he had a whole gang of people working with him."

Dom gave Brian a look that could be called exasperated at best. "Didn't you learn about calling it in when you were in training?"

"I _would_ have called it in..."

"When?"

Brian wasn't sure he could answer that. The truth was, he didn't _know_ when he would have called it in. He knew he should have made a plan before going in... but his frustrations ran so deep, all he'd thought to do was _something_ right.

Turned out he couldn't even arrest someone without it turning complicated.

Dom parked outside the house and turned to face Brian. "Let me make sure I understand this. You saw a wanted man, but instead of calling it in to the LAPD and taking the lead on the arrest, you sneaked into the warehouse... and then wound up with a gun getting pulled on you."

Brian couldn't help squirming a little. He vividly remembered what had happened when Dom had discovered that he'd been lying to them... and although his lover hadn't yet had cause to punish him again, he was always aware of a repeat performance being possible.

And if anything was going to get him spanked again, this was likely to.

Realising that Dom was waiting for a response, Brian cleared his throat. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

"Get out."

Brian glanced at the house, wondering if the rest of the team was there. "Where are the others?"

"I asked them to give us a bit of privacy."

Brian didn't bother asking Dom why the team hadn't been in the warehouse. The team was Dom's family. He wouldn't put them in any kind of danger if there was someone he didn't trust on the other end. More than likely, they'd been involved in the heist... but not the rest of it.

And Dom was staring at him, waiting for him to get out of the car.

Brian swallowed and reached for the door handle, opening it and stepping out onto the grass. He glanced at the front door and then at Dom, who strode towards the house without a backwards glance... as if he expected Brian to follow him without a word of complaint.

It was irritating that Brian found himself doing exactly that.

As the two of them stepped into the house, Brian felt himself relax fractionally. Even fairly certain about what was about to happen, he knew he was safer here with Dom. The only real problem now was if Hastings decided to look into his background... though he hadn't heard Dom give the man his name; and he was fairly certain his lover wouldn't have said it while he was gone either.

The sound of leather being pulled through the loops of a belt drew Brian's attention back to Dom. He swallowed as his lover doubled the belt in his hand and nodded towards the living room. "We'll take care of this through there."

Brian wanted to ask if that was necessary, but one look at Dom's face revealed that his lover wasn't going to let this go. Deciding he was going to take his licks without embarrassing himself by trying to beg off, Brian stepped through to the living room, eyeing the couch with a small amount of trepidation.

Dom nodded to the couch. "Pants down. Bend over."

Brian's hands went automatically to his pants. He took a deep breath and stepped forward so that he could bend over the arm of the couch, shoving his pants down. He braced his hands on the cushion and waited. "I didn't mean to put myself in danger."

"That's a damn lie, Brian." Dom's hand on his back was comforting, even with the tension Brian could feel in it. "You knew what you were doing was dangerous. You _knew_ you should have called it in and got backup." Brian felt the leather rest against his boxer-clad behind. "I'm going to make sure you think twice before something like this happens again."

Brian opened his mouth to respond, but then couldn't stifle the yelp when Dom brought the belt down hard across his backside.

Not giving Brian a chance to fully absorb the pain from the first strike, Dom brought the belt down a second and third time. Brian couldn't hold back the groan of pain, digging his fingers into the fabric of the cushion as he felt his eyes beginning to water.

Though it was less from the pain of the belting and more because the stress he was under was _so close_ to the surface.

When the belt lashed across his bare thighs, Brian grunted, his legs jerking in response to the pain. He couldn't stop the whine that escaped from his throat when Dom began bringing the belt down from the crest of his backside once more, burning skin that was already sore from the leather.

Dom didn't talk to him and in many ways, that was as bad as the spanking itself. Brian could only feel... both the pain and his emotions that had been tormenting him for so long. He wasn't even sure that he could get Dom to understand.

Dom wasn't likely to change, after all.

Lost in his own head, Brian abruptly realised that Dom was tugging his boxers down. He took a tighter grip on the couch cushion as he heard the belt whistle down, to land hard across his bare backside.

The startling pain of the belt on his bare bottom caused Brian to give a shocked yell. He stayed bent over, but it was hard not to turn round and grab the belt from his lover's hand. And punch Toretto, for good measure.

The first time he'd submitted to this, he'd known he deserved punishment for how he'd lied to Dom and the rest of the team. It was harder this time... but wasn't he _still_ lying to Dom? Just about how he felt this time.

Brian didn't think he could continue on with this.

The lashes seemed harder, though maybe it was just because the feel of the belt on bare skin was so much more intense. Brian felt the tears slip out of his eyes as the belt fell with considerable force, setting his whole backside alight... or so it felt. By the time his breath hitched in a sob, it felt like every spot of his bottom and upper thighs had received the belt's attention more than once.

The belt finally stopped falling and Brian slumped, quiet tears soaking into the couch. He felt Dom's arm slide around his waist and he allowed himself to lean into the other man, wiping at his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was tired... subdued... because he knew what he had to do; what the right decision was. "Hastings needs to be brought in."

"Yeah. I know. Come here."

Brian shifted so that he was leaning into Dom, arms wrapped around the other man's waist. He took in a deep breath and let his head drop gently against Dom's shoulder. He knew that he should be pulling up his pants... probably stepping away... but he found that he couldn't. And when Dom raised his chin to kiss him, Brian responded, deepening the kiss... and trying to ignore the sense of desperation he could feel.

* * *

When he was around people he trusted, Dom was a deep sleeper.

Brian lay awake next to Dom, safely encircled in the other's embrace. He didn't want to leave... but he knew he had to. He couldn't find a balance. He couldn't keep fighting against both sides of his nature.

And his need to do the right thing won out over his need to be with Dom... to _be_ Dom's.

As soon as he was certain that Dom wasn't going to wake up, Brian carefully extricated himself from the other man's embrace. He stood by the bed, looking down at Dom, before he quickly and quietly got dressed.

Finally, Brian picked up his pad and pencil. After one final glance at Dom, he wrote him a message and left it on the bed, where Dom would be certain to see it when he woke up.

And then he walked out of the house... and out of Toretto's life.

**The End**


End file.
